Amarillo—When Catholic Schools closed for Spring Break on March 13, there were few indications that they would note their final day of traditional classroom learning for the 2019-2020 school year.
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, that would be the case.
It has been a new experience of learning for both Catholic School students and teachers these last several weeks. As the 2019-20 school year comes to a close on Friday, May 22,
The West Texas Catholic asked Catholic School principals to discuss the changes in education, including methods and successes. Principals were also asked to provide information on how parents can enroll their students for the 2020-2021 school year as well.
Angela Seidenberger Head of School Holy Cross Catholic Academy Amarillo “It has been impressive how hard and how fast the teachers and staff have reacted to the Emergency Distant Learning we put in place shortly after Spring Break. We spent countless hours in virtual platforms and meetings preparing to ensure our students still had an authentic Catholic and academically verbose education over the distant learning platform. It took
MUCH teamwork, not only from my own team at Holy Cross Catholic Academy, but the teamwork of all of my fellow Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Amarillo
AND Lubbock. We came together, we acted fast and we allowed God to work through us. We shared ideas, resources, frustrations and celebrations. That is what I call
FAMILY! So yes, the last two months of school look different, we had to weed out and find what was M
OST important for our kids to know. We refused to give ‘
busy’ work; anything assigned would serve a purpose. We had to do a technology inventory and get an idea of what our families had access to, and then we made sure we got them what they needed to be successful. We have two staff members checking in weekly with each family by telephone to see how things are going and ask if they need anything. Homeroom teachers host one Google hangout a week just for the social/emotional wellbeing of the students. The faculty and staff meet virtually every single weekday morning at 8:00 to pray together and share any concerns and problem solve together.
“Our office is open every weekday from 8:00am to 4:00pm because our counselor has graciously chosen to work from her office and to give families access to the school IF they need it. Parents know they can call the school for information during the day and this has also helped with enrollment questions and inquiries. All the answers may not be immediately accessible, but she will get the message to the person that can be helpful and so that they can make contact with the family in a timely manner.
“I think another beautiful thing about being part of a small community is how well we know our students. We know when something is out of character for them, and when we need to cut them some slack or push them a little harder. We know they might need a quick call with words of encouragement or a little tough love, or a combination of both. There is teamwork, not only among the teachers and staff but also between the school and home. We support one another, and the support that we have received from the home, the community and each other has given me the strength to lead the HCCA team through to the finish line.”
WE ARE CATHOLIC EDUCATION! #MUSTANGSTRONG
David Hernandez Principal St. Joseph School Amarillo “As we carry on adjusting to the changes this pandemic has pushed upon our school and parish community, we rejoice in the light that the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ, has blessed us with this Easter season. There are countless ways in which the spread of COVID-19 has directly and indirectly affected our day-to-day interactions, yet the strength of our school community has bonded even tighter as we have a renewed spirit of family and community as we continue to foster the Faith and academic growth of every one of our students. Go knights!
“Our faculty and staff were quick to understand that we were not providing distance learning; rather, we were creating an ‘emergency’ distance learning program. Like most, this was uncharted territory, which created some anxiety within our teachers, students and families as to what this would look like for our campus and what this meant for our school community. Rest assured, these anxieties were quickly put to rest by the strong planning, collaboration and execution of our amazing teachers, staff, administration and school advisory committee. Our distance learning program was created centered on the goal of providing and equitable program providing continuity for all scholars; from our littles (three-year olds) up through our bigs (fifth grade students). We knew that learning would be the overall priority of our program, but we also understood that the social-emotional needs of each family and child had to come first, above all. Our superintendent phrased it best, ‘We had to focus on Maslow’s hierarchy before Bloom’s Taxonomy.’ Our school was then able to promptly assess the technology capabilities of each household through surveys and on-going communication with families. We partnered up with St. Anthony of Padua School in Dalhart to provide iPads and Chromebooks to families in need.
“Our teachers experienced a surge in online webinars and trainings that better equipped them with strategies and resources to aid them in this new learning platform. We designated a specific day out of the week for parents to do curbside pickup of all paper materials required to complete the learning. Each grade-level had a hybrid version of online and paper-based learning assignments with some teachers instructing in real-time while others pre-recorded direct instruction. We also provided ample opportunity for online ‘socials,’ meaning, our students had the opportunity to do virtual calls with their peers and simply check-in on each other in real-time. This pandemic has proven to me, yet again, about the sense of community that our school and parish have embedded in the roots our Catholic Education. As we continue our trek through these uncertain times, we continue to place our hopes in our Shepherd and walk in Faith.
“We have extended savings opportunities for new and returning families throughout the open-enrollment period. Please call us at 359-1604 for more information on how to register your child or send us an e-mail at [email protected] to see how easy our online enrollment process is. We do have financial assistance available for those who qualify.
“I encourage you to schedule a virtual meeting with me to learn more about what makes our campus unique and special (e-mail [email protected] to set up a time). As always, we invite you to pray for our school community so that we may continue to form each child in spirit, mind and body.”
Doug Jones Principal St. Mary’s Cathedral School Amarillo “Our final nine weeks of 2019-2020 have certainly been unusual, but our Faith has continued to shine through it all. eLearning at St. Mary's Cathedral School has been in full force. Teachers in Kindergarten through fifth Grade host daily Morning Meetings with students that consist of a check-in, a quick game, activity or lesson and a review of materials to go over. SeeSaw has been utilized in all grades as well as Google Classroom in third through fifth grades. Montessori PreK teachers host Morning Meetings as well as checking in with families and individualizing student work to fit their needs outside the classroom. We still pray together each day in Morning Meetings as well as online. Our teachers and students have never been so tech-savvy!
“We are gearing up for next year and we would love for you to join our school community. Please email Lydia O’Rear, Assistant Principal and Director of Advancement, at [email protected] or visit our website at stmarysamarillo.org for more information.”
Shay Batenhorst Principal St. Anthony of Padua School Dalhart “Faculty and staff at St. Anthony of Padua School have gracefully moved into distance learning. Teachers have been busy uploading videos of them teaching to continue providing a quality Catholic education for each of them in their home settings. We are providing our students with some unique virtual opportunities to end the school year. On May 8, we had a virtual field day. May 15 was the final day of online instruction. This week will be devoted to returning materials and conducting virtual award ceremonies. We’ll conclude the week with a drive-by graduation/promotion for our kindergarten and sixth grade students.”
Ana Copeland Principal St. Anthony School Hereford “St. Anthony School began a soft rollout of the online distance learning platform on March 26. Teachers worked through Spring Break designing web-based lessons and learning how to use the latest technology and online tools to educate our students. On March 30, full-fledged distance learning began for St. Anthony students and faculty. Teachers are using a variety of online platforms including web conferencing to directly teach their students new material and also incorporating web-based components of our usual curriculum programs. Abiding social distancing guidelines, the fifth and sixth grade students will graduate with a drive-in style ceremony on Sunday, May 24.
“Enrollment for the 2020-2021 school year is open for Prekindergarten through fifth grades. Interested parents may call the school office for enrollment information at 806-364-1952 or visit our website stanthonysaints.com.